June

The pace which commenced in April has been kept up. It seems the visibility of progress is bringing new members and as important recovering a number of old. As always refer back to the February script of short term objectives to realise the progress being made.

The Station Area has been spruced up in RVR livery. A new canopy added to the Buffet and hanging baskets added. The purpose being to make the area more more presentable to the general public. A sterling effort on the Buffet, being the first point of customer interaction.. The grounds around the site having now been tidied. In the background you will note the new fencing (thanks Peter). The foreground the aged apple tree has been retained and a new garden area planted up. In due course this will convert to a flower border and shrubs (credits Helen).

The Platform Has been fully filled with the detritus extracted from the Ore ballast reclamation. The original coping slades to edge the platform are felt insubstantial and a modified plan to cast our own on site has now received approval. Casting will commence by the end of July. At the North end of the platform a flight of steps gateway to the working site has already been erected. The finishing off of the area and most recent platform works have been furthered by stalwart Geoff. (although not pictured)

Amongst the vehicle preparation the brakevan continues with renovation  and new vacuum brakes are being fittted. Led by Helen Trackwork continues apace too. Ballasting now continues from the end of the current temporary track to the infamous No.1 Bridge. It is expected Gemma will start to lay out the concrete sleepers back from No. 1 bridge within the first two weeks of July. Left view is looking North East Walking back from the above view 50 yards. Even the current allignment of the old track needs repositioning for purposes of safety. The derelect stock will be moved by the end of July by the latest promise of the owner.

A now typical Sunday scene. Old and new Volunteers and many of them	Continuing the theme, “Volunteers come in many forms”.
	<= White Lining by Roy But the reconditioned engine resplendant in RVR Livery (by yours truly) awaiting refitting to the Mini Digger, now over the inspection pit.

May

Trackwork The Ore effort had returned significant benefits in terms of recovered points, ballast and sleepers amongst the recovery. That which was not put aside for direct work on the site has been sold, leading to a small profit for the effort.   (Points at Robertsbridge prior to sorting and stacking) Station Site Preparation An initiative of the Railway within 2008 (reminding you of the February entry) has been to spruce up the Station site, which must be admitted had become drab . New stanchions and finials for hanging baskets have been made and erected. Most of the buildings have been cleaned and repainted. From old Sleepers the new garden area had been prepared against the platform.

April

Modellers Weekend Held over the weekend of 26-27 April the annual event was well supported this year.   State of the Trackbed Walk 20th April 2008 A band of intrepid supporters of the RVR and KESR blazed the trail of the  mutual trackbed of Col Stephens railway, between Headcorn to Tenterden and then again between Bodiam and Robertsbridge. (located at Bodiam)   The trail outside of Biddenden showing a very defined route. The former Biddenden Station now almost in a habitation state. At the trees in the distance the KESR rails end and the trackbed curves towards the temporary stables in the near ground

The Major April Effort! 1-10th April 08 Initial access to the site proved very successful. Many sets points were recovered as were point timbers and many loads of Ballast     By 11th April Work came to a temporary halt, allowing Volunteers of this project to regroup

March

Most of the month was taken up with readying for the Ore Project, warmly known as Shock and ORE. The Robertsbridge site was a scurry of activity with regularly 15 Members in attendance on a Sunday and good to see so many new faces amongst the hardened war horses. Our Bulldozer resplendent in new white livery.

February

Trackwork

Working parties are being planned to enable the Railway  to dismantle and remove at least five sets of point components and a substantial  amount of trackwork from a Network Rail former stock sidings. This  material was promised to the Railway about 2 years ago, and the race is on to recover as much as possible before local events overcome us.  The components will be more than welcome in  our drive to complete the last stages of the track plan for Robertsbridge and to upgrade the line, ready for official inspection.

Our workhorse tractor/excavator is undergoing a full reconditioning, prior to its use in the project to recover those materials from a nearby Network Rail sidings site. Reconditioning includes:

- The engine will receive attention, and all aspects of the mechanical functions of the vehicle will be serviced and tested.
- A new full set of regulation lights, including a revolving warning flasher unit, which will  be fitted as part of an  upgrade of the electrical system.
- The upper cab structure which has been waiting on the platform extension for modifications, will be added shortly, and may be equipped with windows before the tractor is used for the first time.
- The bonnet is currently receiving  attention in the workshop, and the opportunity is being taken to train certain volunteers for MIG welding.
- A full repaint of the tractor in ‘Hi-Vis' yellow

Time is pressing on this.

Lastly, all of us are delighted that Dave Rimmer is back at Robertsbridge  on a regular basis, following a six month period of severe health problems.  His sheer determination has stood him in good stead, and we can now tackle all outstanding jobs with renewed confidence, knowing that he's around to encourage  us and to crack the whip when necessary!

Station Site Area & Preparation for Visitors

The work to improve the image of our Robertsbridge Station site and to make  it more attractive to visiting members of the public continues:

- With the repainting of all the main buildings in the RVR colours of cream and red. The  roof of the cafe/shop will be fully waterproofed with fibreglass when the  weather improves, and will be painted in matt medium grey.  A canopy will be  added to the main public entrance in a style in keeping with those on K.& E.S.R. station buildings, and hanging baskets will be installed. 

- A significant volunteer presses on with the new flowerbed at the south end of the platform, and is bringing on seedlings, using the sunnier end of the office as a greenhouse.  There will be a variety of vegetables as well as flowers, meaning that the railway will be able to justly claim that it has joined the ranks of  organic food growers for the 2008 season. The edges of the new raised bed are  crafted from redundant wooden sleepers - another neat example of  recycling! 

 - Lastly, a new range of cream and red noticeboards will be introduced, constructed in traditional style.

Stock Progress

A Private owner’s Maunsell coach is also undergoing a transformation, with new internal partitions installed, and a move into the platform enabling a glazier  to fit new windows.  Attention to the canvas roof may follow when the weather improves.

The Drewry diesel mechanical shunter 'Dougal' has been mechanically  renovated over the winter period, and the mild weather has enabled a great deal of painting to be carried out.  the loco. should soon receive its top coat of RVR Midnight Blue, and should then be a credit to the line.

 

Administration

The administrative side of the Railway is also making rapid progress, as we meet compliance requirements, together with our day to day running:

- Training sessions have been introduced to  familiarise volunteers with the new procedures, and to ensure that those  operating machinery are properly certificated.
- Copies of the new Rule Book have been distributed to active volunteers, and  their ring binder format enables changes and additions to be made rapidly as the  scope of Railway activities widens.
- Personal Trackside Safety  examinations will be given to all those working on practical projects, and  successful candidates will then receive P.T.S. certificates on encapsulated cards incorporating identification photos.
- The new Publicity Stand continues to appear at collectors' fairs and local markets all over the region. As a result, membership levels have started to rise again, and the number of active volunteers on a Sunday has risen to over  15.

m.p.

January 2008

The year opens mild, but wet and windy. Little trackword has been able to be achieved due to a combination of wet boggy ground, sickness and just a ‘slight shortage’*1 of ballast. Despite this, various other essential tasks have received attention, avoiding a loss of pace.                                    (*1 writers words, not an official statement)

The view left is taken from the embankment of the RVR Trackbed Looking South Across the Sports field of Robertsbridge. Although not apparent whilst the river is in flood, the embankment close to Northbridge Street has been subject to a erosion. The RVR Management has this under close attention and plans are being considered in how best to tackle the problem. We hope to inform  updates during this year.     Back at the point of activity Both sides of the new crossing point have now been completed in preparation for heavy lorries crossing to tip infill to the gully adjoining Network Rail. The purpose is to stabilise Network Rails embankment and level our land. Either side of the crossing point will now need to be raised with spoil and tamped.

Inspection of the engine housing of ‘Dougal’ (a Drewry) being made prior to refitting. The new metal paintwork looking particularly handsome. Alongside the Platform, next to the Buffet a retaining wall has been completed using sleepers that have finished their useful life as rail-bearers. Our apple tree has been well secured (Thanks Helen).     Whilst many activities reported are usually surrounding the Station site we should not forget the effort of those ‘Spreading the Word’. A new program by attending local events has been performed over the past months. We hope that our neighbors and the community generally are better informed and inspired by the effort of the Members and Volunteers of the RVR in preserving our Heritage!